The Strongest Apprentices
by Cael05
Summary: AU. They were chosen and trained by the world's strongest. The day they receive their mentors' proof, they were attacked and their mentors disappeared. To rescue his family, Tsuna had to join the Vongola. Despite his deep hatred towards the family.
1. Memories

_Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit from writing the story and is only doing this for the sole purpose of entertainment. _

Summary: AU. They were chosen and trained by the world's strongest. The day they finally receive their mentors' proof, they were attacked and their mentors disappeared. To rescue his mentors and siblings, Tsuna had to join the Vongola Famiglia. Despite his deep hatred towards the said family.

Warnings: unbeta-ed, OOC-ness, time shiftings et al.

**THE STRONGEST APPRENTICES**

**Chapter 1: **Memories

"Ah! Reborn. Welcome Back!"

A shuffling noise and a 5-year-old brown-haired little boy appeared staring giddily at the man who had just entered the mansion. The man wore an expensive looking black suit and a fedora with an orange lining. He had black hair with swirly side-curls and a face wearing a very serious expression. A pet chameleon nestled on his shoulder.

His eyes, which looked cold and calculating, softened after seeing the boy who was gazing at him expectantly. He sighed and lowered himself into a kneeling position in front of the kid. The boy giggled when the man patted the little brunet.

Reborn greeted his precious student.

"Chaos Tsuna. I'm back."

* * *

><p>Reborn was sipping his favorite blend of coffee when he noticed the brunet giving him awkward glances. He was very much amused of his actions and waited for what he wanted to ask him. When he saw the hesitation in Tsuna's eyes, Reborn decided to coax the questions out of the boy.<p>

"Speak Tsuna. How else can I answer your questions if you don't ask me directly."

Tsuna would have shrieked his usual _HIEEE!_ but he stopped himself when he felt the man's icy glare on him. Reborn despised his girly habit when panicking and punished him for it when he was younger. After remembering the punishments, Tsuna gulped and quickly organized his thoughts. Reborn wasn't really fond of waiting.

"Reborn. I am your student right?"

Reborn placed his cup of steaming espresso on the table and raised his eyebrows. "Of course, Tsuna. Why are you asking such a stupid question?"

Instead of being insulted, Tsuna looked at his mentor sadly. "But you don't truly consider me as one, do you? You have been training me for 5 years now but you still haven't given me the proof that I'm your apprentice. You've been telling me that one day I would receive it and honestly, something in me says that I should already have. And yet you – " Tsuna didn't continue when he saw Reborn face become serious.

After hearing Tsuna's worries, Reborn felt slight guilt in his heart but being the world's greatest hitman, of course, didn't show it. _Looks like the time has come_, he mused. _So much for Vongola blood, huh?_

With resolve, he faced his precious student and explained the qualities needed for _I Prescelti Sette_'s apprentice and the terms of being one. He also told the reason why the hitman couldn't give his most precious student his proof even if he wanted to from the moment he had saved the kid.

* * *

><p>"Err – Reborn? Where are we going?"<p>

"We're going to meet the rest of I Prescelti Sette and your fellow apprentices."

Tsuna's eyes widened in excitement. "Ehh? Really? Then, I'm going to meet Luce-sama, Lal-neesama, Colonello-nii, Fon-jii, Verde-san, Viper-nee and Skull-kun again! I can't wait! The last time I saw them, I was only 5 years old."

Tsuna did a little happy dance which made Reborn smile a little. He interrupted his student's gleeful actions with his comments.

"You know, Lal would be furious when she hears that you consider her stupid student to be one of us, even if she likes you so much. And that would conradict the name, won't it? The world's strongest selective seven. With Colonello, we'll be eight." A smirk formed on Reborn's lips. "Hmm... maybe that would work, if we take out Skull."

"Reborn! Why are you being mean towards Skull-kun? He's really cool, you know? I will never forget those deadly stunts he showed me that time!" Tsuna pouted and gave his mentor a scolding look, which didn't look quite like it.

_Honestly, this kid._ Reborn sighed and listened as Tsuna clumsily re-enacted the tricks his lackey, Skull, showed him.

"... And Viper-nee made these illusions for free so that Skull-kun can do his best stunt."

"Viper-nee?", Reborn deadpanned. It was the first time he noticed how Tsuna called the materialistic illusionist. Does that mean Viper, who claims to be genderless, is actually female? With Tsuna's ability, it might actually be the truth.

Tsuna nodded and continued recalling his fun times with his most favorite people after Reborn. Then, Tsuna paused and remembered that they weren't only meeting his mentor's colleagues but also their apprentices, which meant. "I'm gonna meet my fellow apprentices! I'll do my best to befriend them Reborn!"

Reborn looked at straight at his student's eyes with a proud gleam in them. He nodded and shared his thoughts.

"You should gain their trusts. Since you will be Luce's apprentice, their leader in the future."

* * *

><p>Tsuna stopped and gawked admiringly at the mansion they will be staying for an indefinite time. He turned to face Reborn who wasn't quite surprised of the place. <em>He must have been there already, <em>Tsuna thought. The brunet saw that Reborn had already left him and walked briskly to catch up to his mentor.

At the entrance of the mansion stood a woman dressed in white robes. She was smiling gently at approaching hitman and her soon-to-be apprentice when Tsuna saw her. He couldn't stop himself from running towards the woman. When he was right in front of her, he bowed politely first, remembering the gesture Reborn has told him to do whenever he was around _I Prescelti Sette_'s Boss and grinned. He reached to her face and kissed the cheek where the woman's flower tattoo was drawn. In return, she kissed her soon-to-be apprentice's forehead.

"I've really missed you, Tsu-chan. Look at you, you're all grown up."

"Mou... Luce-sama, I told you to not call me that. I'm no longer 5 years old, you know."

"I know, I know. That's why I said you're all grown up. But Tsu-chan is still Tsu-chan, no matter what age you are."

Luce laughed when she saw the frown, which looked more like a pout, on Tsuna. When she looked at the brunet, it was as if he didn't change at all. But, as the Boss of the _I Prescelti Sette, _she knew more. She could feel that his soul was ready and she smiled a bit sadly that this time has already come.

The moment the proof were already on the children, their fates would also be sealed.

* * *

><p>An awkward silence engulfed the dining room of Luce's mansion. The people in the room where silently observing each other, not knowing what to say or do. The adults were still in a meeting and had yet to come to the dining room. All the apprentices were there waiting for their respective mentors.<p>

Tsuna couldn't take the silence anymore. He decided to speak and start his mission: befriending his fellow apprentices.

"Uhmm...", Tsuna fidgeted as the other kids directed their attention to him. "Hello. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna. I– I hope we get along."

Tsuna waited for any response but when he saw the faces of the others, he was embarrassed and looked down to hide his humiliation. He was startled when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder and saw the grinning faces of a white-haired kid with a bandage on his nose and a black-haired teen with a wooden sword on his back.

"Oh! Could you be Master PaoPao's other student? Extreme! I'm Sasagawa Ryohei but you can call me Onii-san. I'm extremely glad to have a younger brother! I'll teach you Boxing!" Ryohei clasped both hands of the brunet and tugged him a little bit harshly. Tsuna wanted to refuse his new _onii-san_'s request but was afraid that Ryohei would suddenly decide that he doesn't like Tsuna anymore after doing so. He was relieved when the black-haired kid stopped Onii-san from dragging Tsuna to a boxing ring.

"Senpai! Colonello-nii said we should stay here and wait for them. Captain Lal would be angry when she discovers that we planned to step outside that door." Both Ryohei and Tsuna cringed at imagining an angry Lal Mirch. Both knew what the Captain of the COMSUBIN can do whenever she was pissed off.

"Ah.. Tsuna, right? Are you okay?" Tsuna nodded. When he saw the smiling face of the black-haired boy, he felt calmed. The boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head and continued to talk to Tsuna.

"Haha... Sorry about Senpai, he's just very enthusiatic like that. I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, but you can call me Takeshi. Capt. Lal and Colonello-nii had mentioned us about you. So – you were trained by Reborn-san but you're Luce-sama's apprentice, am I correct?"

Tsuna just nodded reluctantly, since it was just a week ago when he actually knew about the true details of the _I Prescelti Sette_.

Tsuna felt a sudden chill inside the room followed by a creepy laugh. Tsuna turned around to find its source and saw a pineapple-haired boy, who was still laughing, and girl already walking towards him. The pineapple-haired boy stopped in front of Tsuna, embraced him and placed his forehead against the brunet's.

"Kufufufu~ So, you are to be our leader? Then, I must check if you're worthy first~"

Tsuna's eyes widened when he saw familiar faces of a blonde man and brown-haired woman, several footsteps, gunshots, and fire. He couldn't believe he was seeing these again. He yelled to stop it but no voice came out of his lips.

The visions stopped and he looked up to see a smirking pineapple-haired boy. The pineapple-haired girl looked at him sadly. Tsuna didn't know what happened to him. He wiped his eyes and he realized that he was crying.

"Well~ You barely passed. But that doesn't mean I'm already accepting you. I'm Rokudo Mukuro and this is my sister, Chrome. We are the apprentices of the illusionist, Viper." With that, Mukuro unlatched himself from Tsuna and went back to his seat. Chrome, who had also witnessed what his brother had seen, wanted to somehow comfort the still dazed Tsuna. She timidly walked up to the brunet and reluctantly kissed him on the cheek. Then, she followed her brother who was amused at his sister's bold act.

"Che~ I won't accept someone as pathetic as him to be my Boss." a silver-haired kid stood up and glared at the brunet. Tsuna had somehow recovered from what he had seen after Chrome's action. Now, he could feel contempt coming from the silver-haired kid.

"Speak for yourself, Gokudera Hayato. A herbivore like you isn't even worthy of my uncle's apprenticeship. You're too weak to be trained by him." A raven-haired kid who was leaning on the wall spoke coldly. Tsuna was surprised that there was actually someone there.

"Mind your own business, Hibari Kyoya. If I am weak as you say, mind telling me why the fuck I was chosen by Fon-sensei instead of you." the silver-haired kid, Hayato, yelled at Kyoya.

"What are you implying herbivore?"

"Exactly what you think I am implying stupid skylark."

"I'll bite you to death."

"My bombs will take care of you."

Before a fight broke out between Kyoya and Hayato, the two heard someone speak to stop them. "The two of you, that's enough."

A man who looked quite like Kyoya stood beside Tsuna. The man wearing a chinese traditional clothing was eying Hayato and his nephew. Hayato, knowing the hidden message his mentor was giving through the stare, backed down and stuffed his dynamites back to who-knows-where he puts them. Kyoya also stilled and hid his tonfas inside his jacket.

"Kyoya! I told you to behave while you're here! Go to your seat." A purple-haired man wearing make-up and a biker's attire cried out. Skull fell silent when he saw his supposed apprentice glaring at him. Skull looked up at his apprentice's uncle and complained, "Fon, your nephew won't listen to me."

Fon sighed and looked again at his nephew. Kyoya stared back but relented after a while. He quietly proceeded to his seat which was farther away from the rest.

"You say you're his mentor and yet you can't control him." Reborn had finally entered the room and looked coldly at Skull. Skull was fuming at the remark but did not retort back. However, he was mumbling something about _'stingy and mean hitman'_ as he went to his seat. Reborn silently commanded Tsuna and the other kids to return to their seats. The other adults, except Luce, started to position themselves around the table.

Tsuna, who had been confused with all the commotion, felt relieved that the adults had appeared. When he saw the familiar faces of his most favorite people, he couldn't stop smiling. With his worries from his first interaction with the other apprentices washed out, the brunet went to his seat which was beside Luce and in front of Reborn.

Luce finally entered the dining room with maids in tow. She couldn't stop herself from laughing when she saw how unusually quiet her colleagues were.

"Uhmm.. Luce? Why are you laughing?" A blue-haired woman, Lal Mirch, asked her Boss.

"Ah no... It's just... You're acting like fine adults in front of your apprentices. It's really... weird."

The apprentices were bewildered at what Luce had said while the adults were murmuring about not being children anymore. Luce had already stopped laughing (but was still giggling) when she reached her chair. Everyone, stood up and waited for _I Prescelti Sette_'s Boss to settle herself. When she had seated, the others followed suit.

"Well now, before anything else. Welcome back." She looked at the right side of the table and smiled to her family. "And to you, young ones." Luce now stared intently to children.

"Continue to be strong." the children blinked at the cryptic message of the woman. Seeing the confused faces of the children, Luce smiled gently and finished her short speech. "Welcome to the family."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe it had already been 5 years. Time surely flies." Tsuna stretched his arms lazily beside his mentor. Reborn shrugged at his student's antics.<p>

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the ceremony later? You know how Luce hates tardiness."

"HIEEE! Right Right! Thanks for reminding me Reborn."

Tsuna gulped when he felt Reborn's killer intent. "Tsuna, you know how much I despise that girly shriek of yours, don't you? Why am I hearing it again?"

Tsuna immediately apologized to his mentor and ran hastily to his room. He sighed when he reached his bed. "That was so close." Tsuna murmured. "I can't really help it if I shriek like that. That habit returned because of Mukuro-nii's pranks and Kyoya-nii's endless battle challenges."

Tsuna smiled when he remembered his fellow apprentices, no, his siblings. Hayato, Takeshi, Chrome, Ryohei-nii, Kyoya-nii, Mukuro-nii and Lambo. It had been a rough start for them but eventually, they learned how alike their life stories were. All of them came to an understanding and had trusted each other ever since. He couldn't imagine his life without them and their mentors.

Tsuna got up and went to his closet for a change of clothes. He quickly got a white suit with a robe like what Luce was wearing. He quickly took a shower and dressed up. When he finished preparing, he looked at the clock and saw that he still has thirty minutes to spare. He kneeled into meditating position and did what Luce had taught him for the past five years.

The meditation was calming him like usual when suddenly he found himself staring at a tablet. The tablet was suddenly destroyed and there was fire, slaughter and destruction around him. But what really frightened him was the bodies of his lifeless mentors and siblings lying on the ground and other people who looked very familiar to him.

He screamed. He desperately wanted to go to the bodies and yet he couldn't move. And then chains suddenly appeared, coiling on him.

Then, darkness engulfed him.

* * *

><p>"No, no... I'm going to save them. I won't let that happen... Everyone, Reborn. Reborn!"<p>

Tsuna got up from his bed sweating all over. It was just a dream. But it was no ordinary dream. Those were his memories and all of them had happened. Or in the last memory's case, would happen.

_No, I won't let that vision happen. They're still alive. I know it. They are the I Prescelti Sette. The World's Strongest Selective Seven. And my siblings are trained by the best. I'll definitely find them._

_But first, I must get all the help that I can._

Tsuna cradled his face with his hands. It was the last thing he wanted to do but it was the most efficient way for him to carry out his plans. He groaned just thinking about it.

_No... I shouldn't be picky. This is for my mentors. My siblings. My family. I will just use them to rescue my family. I'm not joining because I like them._

_I will join the Vongola Famiglia, no matter how much I hate them for ruining my life._

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

I shouldn't be posting this but the plot bunnies won't leave me alone. Well, this was inspired by the latest KHR chapter even though Tsuna was soooooo clueless for not recognizing Reborn. Adult Reborn is just the epitome of bishi-ness. XD

Updates of this story would be irregular since I am working on another multi-chaptered crossover. BUT, if people start bothering me to update this, you never know. =D

Anyone interested to beta this? =P

So. Until next time. CHAOS! =)


	2. The First Step

_Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit from writing the story and is only doing this for the sole purpose of entertainment. _

Warnings: unbeta-ed, OOC-ness, time shiftings et al.

**THE STRONGEST APPRENTICES**

**Chapter 2: **The First Step

Tsuna slowly got up from his bed and went his way to the special room of the mansion. He was unable to return to sleep; afraid that he would see another vision as horrible as the one in his dream. The sun had yet to rise so he decided to train and clear his mind to prepare himself.

Because today, he was going to seek out and join the Vongola Famiglia.

The brunet was so lost in his thoughts about his plans he didn't notice that he was already in front of the room's door. He entered it and smiled sadly as he looked around the clearing. The special room used to be the noisiest and most chaotic part of the mansion when he was training there with his siblings and their mentors. Seeing that it was empty and silent, Tsuna felt his heart clench.

He was all alone now.

_No... I shouldn't think like this._ _How will I save them if I keep on sulking?_ Tsuna berated himself. _If Reborn was here, he would have shot me his 'chaos shot' for losing my focus._

Regaining his composure, Tsuna closed his eyes, heaved a deep sigh and relaxed his body. He recalled one by one which training method was most suitable for his current state and remembered the _katas_ Fon had taught him and his siblings. His eyes opened and their usual warm brown color turned to piercing amber.

Tsuna's training started.

* * *

><p>It was still too early in the morning but Giotto had already woken up from his short nap and was skimming through an important document needed for the day. His soft orange eyes were groggy and his blonde locks spiked everywhere unkempt. The <em>Vongola Capo<em> was truly worn out but that didn't stop him from finishing his work.

He was reading the document, checking if all the details were accurate and acceptable for finality, when a cup of steaming coffee was placed in front of him. He blinked and quickly looked up to see his childhood friend's familiar scowling face.

"G! You're here." Giotto said surprised. He was too busy he didn't notice when the man had entered his office.

G rolled his eyes at Giotto's remark and sat on the nearby chair. "Well, obviously. How else can you enjoy your coffee if I didn't deliver it to you." The man was being sarcastic but Giotto knew that his friend was actually concerned.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." Giotto took a sip from the drink and felt the hot liquid relieve his dry throat. Then, he continued assessing his work while drinking his coffee.

G just stared at the sloppy appearance of his boss and childhood friend. His hands raked his pale-red hair in frustration. Giotto had been working non-stop for three days because of some rival family. It was really hard, being a boss of a mafia family.

After a couple of minutes, Giotto put the document down and sighed in relief. The blonde stretched his arms widely and G slightly smiled at the gesture.

"So finally, you've finished the terms?" G inquired.

"Yeah. But this is all for nothing if they still refuse to listen to us."

G scowled at this. "Darn it Giotto. I don't know why you're still being patient with that family. It's too obvious that they are taking advantage of you."

Giotto just stared calmly at his friend. "G... I know you understand. I want to settle this as peacefully as possible."

Of course he understood. As a childhood friend, G was witness to the blonde's gentle demeanor and pacifist ways. Which was why when Giotto had been finally deemed as _Vongola Capo_, many doubted that he could restore Vongola to its glory when it fell down the ranks in the mafia world. Only G, the other guardians and a handful of others fully supported Giotto as he proved his worth.

Which he did. With unconventional and unheard of policies, Giotto managed to lead Vongola to a new light. Many families recognized Vongola's new strength and power. And of course, there were families which treated the Vongola as threat.

Like this family which had been pestering them lately with petty attacks to Vongola territory. Since the attacks weren't large scale and had always been prevented, Giotto deemed it necessary to just negotiate it with the boss of the offending family.

Despite his objections, G just supported his childhood friend all the way. He had always known what was going on in his crazy childhood friend's mind.

"Do as you like." He shrugged but then turned serious afterwards. "But, if they made an action against _you_ and Vongola this time, I'm never going to forgive them." He got up from his chair and proceeded to the exit. He turned back to his boss and reminded him. "The negotiation will be later this afternoon so you can still rest for a while. You look like a zombie. Ugetsu and I will take care of the rest while you're taking a break."

When the sound of G's retreating steps faded, Giotto stifled a yawn and scrunched his eyes. Actually, he didn't want to take a break considering the amount of paperwork left. But it looks like his body couldn't function well anymore due to exhaustion. He decided to follow G's advice and stood up. He walked through the secret passage that connected his office to his room.

When he reached his room, Giotto passed by the mirror and stared wide-eyed at his reflection. _G's right. I really look like a zombie. _He chuckled and hastily walked to his bed.

He didn't even bother to remove his coat when he lied on his bed's soft covers. Sleep immediately claimed him and soon, soft breathing could be heard throughout the room.

* * *

><p><em>So this is Vongola territory.<em>

Tsuna looked around and observed the lively town plaza. There were numerous establishments and high-rise buildings which looked both old and modern. It was already noon so people were flocking to the restaurants and fastfood chains. He decided that he, too, should take some lunch first before searching again for the Vongola Headquarters.

As Tsuna made his way to an uncrowded restaurant, he could feel the glances most of girls were giving him as he passed them by. He grimaced at the attention he was receiving, he was only wearing a normal white T-shirt under a white and orange hooded jacket and a pair of faded denim pants. However, instead of brown, his hair was black while his eyes were steely gray instead of warm brown. He was casting a simple disguise illusion his sister, Chrome, had taught him.

_Could it be that something is wrong with my disguise? _He thought. He stopped in front of a fast food with glass windows and inspected his appearance. Everything looked fine so why was he getting too much attention? He noticed that a group of girls who were sitting by the glass window were smiling at him weirdly. Tsuna stomped away after feeling the creeps run up his spine. He decided to wear the hood of his jacket despite the heat of the sun.

He kept on walking until he reached a quiet bar. He went inside and felt relieved when he saw that the establishment had few costumers. He walked to the counter where an old lady was serving. The lady immediately attended to Tsuna.

"This isn't a place for minors, kid." She eyed the boy sternly. Tsuna ignored the rude remark and just stated his intention.

"It's not like I'm ordering alcohol, _signora_. I'm just here for lunch." The lady smirked at Tsuna's bluntness and decided that she liked the boy.

"Okay. Which one do you like?"

Tsuna smiled and looked at the menu handed by the lady. He skimmed through the pages and pointed his order to the woman. After ordering, Tsuna waited silently for his food.

That was when the door opened and two men in black suits entered the bar bragging about belonging to the _Pesca Famiglia_. Tsuna smirked at this. Looks like he came to the right place for information after all.

The two men settled themselves near Tsuna's place that he wouldn't have to move near the men to hear every word they said. After the waitress got the mafiosi's orders, they engaged into a very informative talk.

"So what was the plan again?"

"Idiot! Weren't you listening to Boss before?"

"I was. But I missed some, well – most of the details."

"Stupid. But since I'm partnered with you, I guess I need to tell you."

"Just go on already."

"About 4PM today, Vongola would be negotiating with Boss. But before he could even reach our HQ, we're going to ambush him."

"What? Isn't the _Vongola Capo_ rumored to be very strong and actually defeated an _I Prescelti Sette?_"

Tsuna tensed when he heard that bit of information. How could that stupid rumor go around? There's no way any of his mentors could be defeated by anyone. Most especially if the person was in Vongola.

"Don't go believing everything you hear. Giotto Vongola was said to be strong, but he can't defend himself from an army."

_Giotto Vongola. The Vongola Capo. _Tsuna's eyes narrowed.

"You're right. And no one really knows if _I Prescelti Sette _really exists. The World's Strongest Selective Seven my ass. If they're real, how come they hide themselves. Hahaha... My bad, my bad."

"Right. I bet those people calling themselves _I Prescelti Sette _were actually just some crazy-assed weaklings."

The last comments made Tsuna's blood boil. He wanted to beat the two men right there and then for insulting _I Prescelti Sette, _his family, in front of him. However, he controlled himself. He knew that it would be a bad move hurting the two in there.

The waitress who brought Tsuna's order stood unmoving at the sight of the very pissed-off teen. When she felt that the teen's rage had subsided a little, she placed the food on the table too quickly and returned to the counter without looking at Tsuna. Tsuna noticed that his food was already on the table and focused on it so that he could stop himself from doing _things _to the two stupid mafiosi.

While he was eating his lunch in a very refined manner, he was actually thinking of dark thoughts that he would include in his plan's phase 1.

_Pesca Famiglia, it would be a great honor sabotaging your ambush. One, I will be in a position where I 'rescue' the Vongola Capo. They will have no reason not to accept me in their family. Two..._

Tsuna stabbed the chicken with his fork coldly.

_I will have the pleasure of beating up people who look down on my Family._

* * *

><p><em>Giotto found himself in a middle of his town. However, instead of seeing it lively and bustling of people like normal, he saw the opposite. Everywhere he looked, he could only see remnants of destroyed buildings and houses while the streets were devoid of people.<em>

_Not liking what he saw, Giotto walked hurriedly which actually turned into a run towards the direction of the Vongola mansion. His eyes widened in shock to see the huge fortress in shambles._

_The scene changed and he felt a tug in his right hand. He raised it and saw that the Vongola Sky ring was glowing. Then he saw a silhouette of a man. No, boy. Somehow, he felt relieved to see the boy even though he didn't know who it was. He wanted to go to the boy's side but suddenly, he was frozen in place. Darkness slowly crawled upon him and there was no way that he could escape. He struggled and even tried to be in his Hyper Dying Will Mode to no avail._

_The last thing he saw was the boy's sad warm brown eyes as he desperately called out to him._

Giotto opened his eyes and realized that he was only dreaming. However, he knew that it wasn't a normal dream as he saw that the soft glow of Vongola Sky ring on his finger hadn't faded. Also, his hyper intuition was acting up; which indicates that everything that he saw was a warning.

His stomach grumbled and he turned to the grandfather clock's direction. It was exactly 12PM. He needed to prepare already so he set his thoughts about the premonition aside for the moment. He quickly got up and went to the bathroom to shower. After refreshing himself, he entered his walk-in closet and chose the usual pinstriped suit he wore when he meets up with a boss of another family. Of course, his attire also included the _Mantello di Vongola _and _Mitena di Vongola_ which were not only accessories but were actually part of his weapon.

Seeing that he looked decent enough, Giotto descended to the dining hall. As expected, his closest guardians, G, his storm guardian and Asari Ugetsu, his rain guardian, were already there waiting for him. He hurriedly went to his seat at the head of the table. When he had seated, the maids started to serve them their meals. After serving, Giotto thanked the helpers as usual and attended to his food without further ado.

"I'm glad that you're looking better Giotto." Ugetsu smiled his usual warm smile at the blonde. Giotto finished chewing the food in his mouth before he responded to his Japanese guardian.

"The sleep helped a lot. However..." Giotto's voice trailed when he remembered the premonition he had dreamt about.

"Don't tell me your freaky intuition acted up again."

"Don't call my hyper intuition freaky!"

Ugetsu laughed at the squabble of the two childhood friends. G noticed it and snapped at Ugetsu.

"Why are laughing Sword-freak?"

"Maa, maa. G. Don't get mad. I actually agree that Giotto's hyper intuition _is _freaky. Ahahaha..."

"Not you too, Ugetsu."

G harrumphed at Giotto's protests and continued. "I say freaky because it's freaky. So, what did it tell you or show you this time?"

Giotto frowned at the red-haired man's rude comments but decided to narrate what he had seen. After hearing it, G and Ugetsu had thoughtful looks on their faces.

"This HQ destroyed? I can't believe that. We have the best security and men that would protect the Vongola mansion. I can't imagine what kind of army or weapon could practically defeat this place."

"Giotto, have you seen the man's face in your dream? What if he was the one who would cause all those things you saw?"

Giotto shook his head. He didn't see the boy's face. However, this was what he thought. "Ugetsu, I don't think the man er– boy was the cause. Well, in that case, I think he is _not_ the one who did the damage?"

G raised his eyebrows at Giotto's uncertainty. "You think the man was a boy? And he's not the one who directly _did_ the damage, correct?"

Giotto nodded.

G massaged his temples. "Why are we having a dream interpretation again?"

"Because not only did Giotto's hyper intuition acted up, the Vongola Sky ring glowed as well." Ugetsu replied the storm guardian's query happily.

"Right." G stood up and looked at Giotto. "We'll discuss this again later when the others had arrived from their missions. I think that would be in two or three days time. Right now, I think we should get going to that family's hide-out. It's already two."

Giotto was surprised that two hours had already passed. He saw that he hadn't finished eating yet while his guardians were actually done. Ugetsu saw Giotto and assured him.

"Relax Giotto. You should finish your food. I have already prepared the documents and other things you would need for the negotiation. They're already in the car. G had also talked to the personnel about everything they need to do while we are absent in the mansion."

Giotto sighed and thanked his friends "Thank you G, Ugetsu." G just shrugged while Ugetsu smiled calmly at Giotto.

About half an hour later, the _Vongola Capo, _accompanied by the Storm and Rain guardians, went on their way to the _Pesca Famiglia_ headquarters.

* * *

><p>Tsuna expertly hid his presence from the <em>Pesca Famiglia<em> members who were waiting to ambush the convoy of the Vongola. If there was no delay, they will be in the area in two minutes.

_Perfect._

After calming himself, Tsuna decided that it would be better if he just observed for now. When he had thought about the plan the second time, he found out that there were many flaws in it. At worst case, he would be suspected and be treated as enemy as well.

_Not that I mind though. I hate the Vongola._

But he needed to ignore his hatred for the sake of joining the group. He reminded himself again why he was doing all these and his focus returned. Observe everything first and find a full-proof plan to join the ranks of the Vongola.

_For my Family._

He heard an approaching car and used his binoculars. When he confirmed that it was the Vongola car due to the insignia displayed, he casted his illusion disguise again (he couldn't keep it up for long hours) and went to a better place for espionage.

* * *

><p>Giotto tapped G's shoulder and warned. "We are being watched."<p>

Ugetsu, who had felt it too looked up to the blonde and the red-haired man guardian. "You think it's an ambush?"

Giotto had no time to confirm that it was really an ambush when his hyper intuition flared. He commanded G. "G! Steer to the right!"

G quickly followed the blonde's instructions but was a fraction of a second late. A sound of a bursting tire was heard and the Vongola car skidded but safely jerked to a stop.

Tsuna frowned at the only vehicle that was present. _What? Not a convoy? Just one car? No other subordinates? They. Are. Screwed._

Giotto, G and Ugetsu get off their car and immediately, out of nowhere, a rush of _Pesca Famiglia_ hitmen surrounded the trio. Among them were the two mafiosi Tsuna had secretly followed.

"I can't believe those two were hitmen. Lambo could defeat them with just a single grenade." Tsuna commented as he continued to observe the fight that started.

"So, Giotto. Didn't your hyper intuition picked up that this was the reason why they demanded no subordinates in your visit?"

"Actually, G, I did. Uhmm... A little."

G shot his childhood friend a nasty look then started to attack the hitmen. Ugetsu only laughed at Giotto's negligence and assured Giotto that he didn't mind. Giotto looked a bit guilty that he ignored his intuition when he had agreed with the negotiation.

Giotto, G and Ugetsu were not really having a hard time with the hitmen. G had successfully hit a number of snipers with his arrows while Ugetsu took down the men who battled in close combat with his sword. Giotto was doing hand-to-hand combat too and was faring well even though he was not really using his Hyper Dying Will Mode.

Tsuna smirked as he watched the trio effortlessly defeat the Pesca hitmen. However, his smirk turned into a frown when he sensed a sudden spike of energy. No doubt that was a dying will flame. But it felt strange and unnatural. The flame was... synthetic. And it was targeting Giotto Vongola with incredible speed. Tsuna prepared himself. Looks like he would have to save the _Vongola Capo_ for real and proceed with joining the Vongola.

Giotto was busily fending off three of the men when he felt a weird surge of energy approaching him and his opponents. It was too fast that he needed to get into Hyper Dying Will Mode quickly to have a chance of dodging. However, he couldn't do that because of the men attacking him simultaneously. G and Ugetsu felt the incoming danger and turned worriedly to Giotto. They could only yell when they saw the incredibly fast flames going to their Boss's direction.

"Giotto!"

The flames hit and the area around the _Vongola Capo _was shrouded with dust and smoke due to the explosion. G and Ugetsu was too stunned at what they saw. They ran frantically towards where Giotto was but the two were blocked by five men who looked like they were in Hyper Dying Will Mode but in a nastier form. The assassins looked fierce and monstrous.

G and Ugetsu couldn't believe their eyes. The two, seeing the situation got worse, activated their own flames, Storm and Rain. They wanted to get to Giotto's side immediately and the two did not hesitate to confront the monster-looking assassins. However, like what they saw earlier, the power of the assassins were levels higher than their previous opponents.

The two guardians whipped their heads on direction of the explosion when they heard coughing. The dust and smoke were already clearing up and they could see the figure of their boss. He was kneeling a little and the hacking cough noise was caused by him. Giotto was surrounded by the bodies of the three men he was fighting when the flame striked.

The two were surprised when they saw another figure who was standing in front of Giotto. The man was short and had black hair. His posture was a bit strange, his eyes were closed and the ring finger and thumb of both hands were positioned like a diamond. When the man opened his eyes, they could see cold steely gray orbs narrowed at the assassins.

The man disappeared and in microseconds was beating one of the assassins into a thin pulp. When he finished, he turned to G and blocked an attack that was supposed to hit the storm guardian. When G realized this, he too, used his _G Archery _to shower the assassin who attacked him with arrows coated with storm flames. With their disintegration properties, the storm flames did their part and G's attacker got what he deserved.

Two down, three more to go. Tsuna took notice of the three assassins with unnatural flames and was a bit surprised that they had been defeated as well. The man wielding a sword coated with rain flames had incapacitated one of the assassins lying on the ground with a huge slash on his chest. The last two's condition, well, turned Tsuna's surprise to silent admiration when he caught sight of the bodies of the men encapsulated in ice. And that was no normal ice, those were hardened dying will flames. His gaze shot up to the source of the strong sky flames he perceived and saw the _Vongola Capo _in all his Hyper Dying Will Mode glory.

Even if he hated the Vongola, Tsuna could only recognize the power of the men in before him.

He turned and stared at the red-haired man with a tattoo on his face and the tall-black haired man with Asian features. Now that he had seen the faces of what he supposed, the Storm and Rain guardians of the _Vongola Capo_ closely, he couldn't help but gape at them.

_Why do they look very much like Hayato and Takeshi? _Tsuna questioned himself. This confused him to a core. The two men were like older versions of his closest siblings, just with a different hair-color and style.

Tsuna's thoughts were cut off when he became aware of hostile stares the duo were giving him.

"So, are you an enemy too or not?" G graced the black-haired man – no – teen with a threatening voice.

Tsuna quickly masked his confusion and maintained his indifferent front. _They are not my siblings. They are Vongola._ He reminded himself.

"Which do you think am I?" Tsuna replied mockingly.

The tone in the teen's voice did not sit well with the ill-tempered man. He pointed his bow to the stranger but stopped when he heard an his boss speak.

"G. Stand down. He helped us." Giotto's calm and commanding voice interrupted the growing tension. The man was no longer in Hyper Dying Will Mode but there was no doubt that he was in his Boss mode. G relented obediently and silently watched as Giotto went to the stranger.

Tsuna just looked at them passively. Or that was what it seemed. Internally though, he was absolutely perplexed. He had in mind everything that was to know about the Giotto Vongola's reputation as _Vongola Capo_. But, the one thing he refused to find out about the man shook him quite a bit now that he had encountered him face-to-face.

_Why does he look like me?_

Tsuna was even more startled when Giotto suddenly yanked his right arm to see it. He winced at the pain he felt when a wound he got from blocking the unnatural flames was exposed. G and Ugetsu had followed Giotto and flinched after seeing the teen's nasty injury.

"We should treat this immediately." Giotto gently eyed the black-haired teen.

Regaining his composure, Tsuna pulled his right arm away from the blonde and said curtly. "This is nothing."

G and Ugetsu looked at each other when they saw the attitude of the teen. Both were displeased at the arrogance he was showing towards their boss. However, they only stood there and kept their silence as Giotto handled the situation.

"Thank you. If not for you, I could have died back then." Giotto tilted his head in sincere gratitude.

G and Ugetsu were incredulous at Giotto's statement. But they knew Giotto's ability in sensing dying will flames was not like any other. If he said that the attack would have killed him, then he was serious about it.

"Well, it would be a waste if you died here, _Vongola Capo_ Giotto Vongola."

Ugetsu and G tensed at the chillness that once again enveloped the young man. More so, after hearing what came next to his speech.

"So, I would gladly offer my hand in protecting you if you let me join your family."

Silence filled the air for a while until G made his outburst.

"What the hell are you implying kid? That we're not strong enough guardians to protect our Boss?"

Tsuna just stared at G and replied in a bored tone. "I never said that. I am merely offering my services to the _Vongola Capo_."

The storm guardian was fuming and was glaring at Tsuna. Tsuna knew that the way he was acting would give him less chance of acceptance in the Vongola. But he didn't need acceptance. He didn't need approval from the Vongola. He was only going to use them after all.

"And what is your reason young man? Perhaps, we could consider your offer if you tell us. You see, it's quite suspicious that you just appear here out of nowhere, help us and want to join our family." Ugetsu was not in his usual carefree manner but was observing the boy intensely.

"I don't need to tell you my reasons."

"Then, we don't think we should talk about this anymore. Right Giotto?"

Giotto had been reserved ever since the teen told them his intentions. Everything the boy had showed them, he knew was not like him. He was hiding a big secret and perhaps, this was the reason why he wanted to join the Vongola. Even though his mind was telling him that the boy was dangerous, his hyper intuition kept insisting that he must let him join the Vongola.

Giotto made a decision and focused his attention to the teen.

"What's your name, young man?"

Tsuna hesitated and answered shortly. "You can just call me _Caos_."

"Well then Caos, before I decide if I accept you in Vongola, would you mind if you release your disguise illusion and let us see your true face?"

Tsuna tensed. He didn't want to show them his real face. He was about to refuse the condition when his intuition kept nagging at him. It was telling him that it was the best idea.

Trusting his intuition, Tsuna nodded to Giotto. He closed his eyes and dispelled the illusion. Slowly, black locks returned to its original chocolate brown while steely gray orbs became piercing amber. When he opened his eyes, Tsuna was greeted by the shocked faces of the _Vongola Capo_ and his guardians.

* * *

><p>Story Notes:<p>

_I Prescelti Sette_ – The Seven Selected. The World's Strongest Selective Seven.

_Vongola Capo_ – Vongola Boss

_Pesca Famiglia_ – Peach/Fishing Family (canon)

_Mantello and Mitena di Vongola_ – Vongola cape and gloves

_Caos_ – Italian for Chaos

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

So... I succeeded and updated this! I would like to thank everyone: the alerters, favers, lurkers and reviewers for sparing time in this little fic. I hope this chapter was a good follow-up.

And yeah. The details in this AU are revealed little by little. If you find something confusing or weird or you're just curious, don't hesitate to ask away. Anyway, I _know_ Tsuna is OOC but given his background in the story, I hope it's understandable. =D

So, until next time! Ciaossu!


	3. Reasons

_Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit from writing the story and is only doing this for the sole purpose of entertainment. _

Warnings: unbeta-ed, OOC-ness, time shiftings et al.

**THE STRONGEST APPRENTICES**

**Chapter 3: **Reasons

Giotto, G and Ugetsu were totally stunned when they finally saw Tsuna without his illusion disguise.

Why won't they? The teen standing before them looked very much like Giotto in his teens. However, he had chocolate brown locks instead of blonde while his eyes were of sharp orange tone like when Giotto was in Hyper Dying Will Mode. The aura exuded by the teen screamed 'powerful and skilled fighter' which had been proven by the previous encounter with the Pesca assassins.

G was the first one to voice out his reaction to the teen's real appearance.

"Are you mocking us brat? Do you really think we would fall for your trick twice? Did you actually think we will believe that you are a splitting image of our Boss?" G exclaimed. Despite his statement, however, the Storm guardian was reeling his mind of anything that could connect the kid to his childhood friend.

"G. He's not doing another disguise. As much as I am shocked myself, Caos really looks like me." Giotto stared at Tsuna pensively, thoughts and questions swirling in his mind.

"Giotto? You don't have a long lost brother do you?" Ugetsu turned to the blonde_. _Giotto shook his head gently in answer.

The Vongola scrutinized Tsuna from head to toe and gave more remarks about his appearance. The brunet turned more annoyed as minutes passed. After a while, Tsuna had had enough of the Vongola's musings on his similarities with the _Vongola Capo _that he decided to cut off their conversations.

"It's only a coincidence. If it bothers you that much, I would gladly put up my disguise again."

G and Ugetsu just glanced at Giotto concernedly. The two had already been lost in the turn of events. They waited until Giotto finally spoke up.

"There's no need to do that Caos. I would much prefer it if the person who wants to join my family won't hide his true self." Giotto eyed Tsuna intensely. Tsuna felt the man was reading him but kept his calm.

"I understand. So, about my offer?"

Silence hung around them until Giotto decided to finally voice out his decision.

"You saved me in the ambush and showed skills that I think would benefit us in the future." Giotto nodded to himself and then smiled at Tsuna.

"Welcome to the Vongola Famiglia."

* * *

><p>"Do you have something to say G? Ugetsu?" Giotto looked at the troubled faces of his Storm and Rain guardians.<p>

The two had been quiet all through out the journey back to their headquarters. And Giotto knew what the reason was. It was because of his acceptance of the boy, Caos, into the family.

Giotto sighed when no one wanted to speak up. He reclined in his chair and folded his arms in front of his chest. "It's about Caos, isn't it?" he started.

The guardians stared at their Boss and minutes passed when Ugetsu finally broke his stupor. "Giotto, are you really sure it was wise to let that mysterious kid join us? Well, you were right that he saved you and his skills could be even greater than our best fighters but – "

Ugetsu trailed off hesitating to say his opinion directly but his thoughts were continued by G. "Don't you find him suspicious? What if he's some spy from another family? He saved you once but what if he is planning something else?"

"And you." the red-head huffed, scowling at the blonde. "What are you thinking? You even brought him here in our mansion. _Dio_, Giotto. You know that I follow your decisions even if I think it's crazy. But this – "

G gave his childhood friend the look. Giotto knew what it meant. G uses that look when he is extremely serious about something. "I think you should reconsider your decisions concerning the kid. I can only say one thing. That boy is dangerous."

After hearing the concerns of his closest guardians, Giotto heaved a deep sigh. He really needed to explain to the two what he had been thinking about the boy. It would surely ease their minds and they could even help him in his new-found dilemma.

"Thanks for your concerns G, Ugetsu. I guess I have to tell you my reasons for my decision regarding Caos?"

"I'm glad you got the message." G remarked his friend sarcastically.

"Okay G. I'm sorry for not telling you right away, okay? Geez." Giotto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

The tension among the trio decreased which made it easier for Giotto to start. G and Ugetsu relaxed and waited for their Boss's explanation.

"Maybe I should begin with the dream I had in the morning. You guys still know the details about it right?" G and Ugetsu just nodded. "Well, somehow, I feel like the boy in my dream and Caos is the same person."

"Your hyper intuition?" Ugetsu questioned.

"Probably. But I – don't quite understand it but I feel like I have a connection with the kid when I saw him. Even if he was still in his disguise."

G's eyebrows furrowed at this. "I was in real shock when he lifted the illusion. That kid looks like you Giotto. There's no denying it. Who the heck will consider that to be a coincidence? It's really suspicious."

"I was surprised when I saw his real appearance too, you know. But, I actually realized something then. Caos might really have a connection with me."

The two were startled by Giotto's statement. They stared at the blonde's contemplating face.

"But didn't you say you didn't have a younger brother?"

"I don't know Giotto but I can't actually remember any living relatives who's younger than you except for your beastly cousin."

"G, I told you not to call Xanxus that." Giotto scolded his childhood friend.

G eagerly defended himself. "How can I not, if he calls everyone scum or trash."

"Maa. Maa. Enough of that G. Xanxus also has his good points. Giotto," Ugetsu faced the blonde and asked. "so what makes you think Caos has a connection with you if you don't have any other living relatives?"

"Well, I can say, what if he was someone who we all thought died? Ten years ago to be exact."

Realization struck both guardians when they were told about ten years ago. There was only one tragic incident that happened that time which became the turning point of their lives, especially for _Giotto_.

"Uncle Iemitsu and his family. They were attacked in Japan that time by the rebelling Vongola forces. They all died." Giotto smiled forlornly as he remembered the weird but kind uncle who cared for him. The man he treated as brother and father.

"Well, I remember sweet Aunt Nana when she went on vacation here in Italy when the old man and she got married. But that was six years before the incident." G recalled.

"Didn't they have a five-year-old son when they were attacked?"

Giotto nodded at Ugetsu's question. "I don't know what to do but this makes me somewhat excited and afraid at the same time. I hope you finally understand why I accepted Caos in the Vongola."

G and Ugetsu looked uncertainly at the blonde but nodded nonetheless.

"Caos might be Tsunayoshi, my cousin."

* * *

><p><em>He was sweating and panting when he snapped out of the vision. Tsuna tried to stand up but his whole body was trembling and couldn't support his weight. <em>

_He was scared. Seriously, utterly scared._

_Tsuna curled up and hugged his knees, trying his best to calm himself. He desperately pushed the gruesome scene of his dead family out of his mind._

_The sound of several knocks broke the tense air and he looked up to see a worried Luce coming to him. When the I Prescelti Sette Boss knelt down beside the trembling teen, the woman immediately hugged the brunet. Tsuna sighed at the comforting embrace._

_Minutes passed and Tsuna pulled away from the hug. He blushed when he felt the tears on his face. "Thank you Luce-sama. I think I'm alright now." _

_The gentle Boss smiled calmly at Tsuna. Looking at the brunet, she could infer what actually happened to her apprentice. "Tsu-chan, did you just have a vision?"_

_Tsuna nodded absentmindedly. Luce sat beside her apprentice and put her hand on the boy's in a consoling manner. "Then can you tell me what you actually saw?"_

_Tsuna didn't want to recall the vision but narrated every detail of the frightening premonition. Luce listened intently, a small frown was on her face. When he finished, Luce stared at her apprentice and seriously gave her counsel afterwards._

"_Tsunayoshi, this vision is a warning for the future. I can only say, if something happens to us, I would like you to seek help with the Vongola. And everything will fall into place after that. Can you promise me?"_

_Tsuna's eyes widened and he wanted to protest. But seeing the serious expression of the I Prescelti Sette's Boss just made him nod in agreement._

_It was at that moment when the door of his room burst open revealing Reborn. Tsuna and Luce got up from their positions after seeing the serious expression from the hitman's face._

"_Enemies are attacking the mansion. I don't know how it happened but – " Reborn looked at Luce. "He's the one commanding the attackers."_

_Luce gasped faintly and looked at Reborn sadly. Reborn glanced at Tsuna who was at a loss of the whole situation. The three heard an explosion which was most probably caused by Verde's explosive traps._

"_We should quickly go there." Tsuna readied himself to help the others._

"_No, you stay here." Reborn answered and gave Tsuna the look saying defy-me-or-I'll-kill-you-instead._

_The brunet, however, wasn't fazed by his mentor's scary stare. _"_But Reborn!"_

"_There's no time for arguing Tsuna. You and your siblings will not fight. That's our decision." Reborn said with finality.  
><em>

"_But – "_

"_Trust us, Tsu-chan. We are not the I Prescelti Sette for nothing."_

_Tsuna nodded hesitantly at the gentle Boss's statement. Reborn and Luce walked out of the room leaving the brunet alone. _

_Tsuna remembered his siblings and rushed to the lounge where he saw them gathered. He could see that like him, his siblings were eager to help their mentors fight the enemies._

"_Tsuna-nii! I wanted to fight but Verde-jii said we should take care of his experiments while he's away!" Lambo enthusiastically clung on Tsuna's leg. He patted the five-year-old cow-kid good-naturedly._

"_Yeah. Reborn and Luce-sama said we should stay here and wait for them too."_

"_I can't believe I'm crowding with you here instead of biting those enemy herbivores to death outside." Kyoya tapped his foot impatiently, scowling at his herbivore siblings._

"_Oya. Oya. Kyoya-kun, then do you want to spar with me to kill our boredom? Kufufufu..." Mukuro challenged the battle-thirsty raven-haired teen._

_Kyoya's eyes glinted at the proposition. "That's a very good idea Pineapple-head."_

"_What did you just call me? Skylark-kun."_

_"I'll bite you to death."  
><em>

"_HIE! Kyoya-nii, Mukuro-nii. This isn't the time for you to fight!" Tsuna frantically went in between the two who shrugged at the interruption._

"_Okay. If Tsu-chan says so. Kufufufu..." Mukuro relaxed and walked back to Chrome's side._

"_I'll let it to go this time, but my next spar will be with you Tsunayoshi." Kyoya said a bit disappointed as he stuffed his tonfas back inside his jacket._

"_Tsuna come here quick!" Takeshi, who was outside the balcony with Hayato and Ryohei, gestured the brunet to come. He was somewhat panicked about something._

"_Eh?" Tsuna approached the three and found that they were observing the forest where the battle was going on._

"_This looks bad." Hayato suddenly put down his binoculars and faced Tsuna and his other siblings. "Everyone, I don't know what happened but suddenly Reborn-san and the others stopped attacking."_

_Hayato's statement caught everyone's attention._

"_What do you mean Hayato?" Chrome's soft voice was laced with worry._

_It was Ryohei who answered their sister's query when he snatched the binoculars from Hayato and looked at the forest battlefield._

"_I could see men in suits advancing here to the extreme!"_

_The apprentices couldn't believe what they just heard. Did that mean their mentors were defeated?_

_Kyoya stomped off quickly followed by fuming pineapple-haired twins. Tsuna, Hayato, Takeshi, Ryohei and Lambo followed suit after exchanging nods with each other._

_When they stepped outside the mansion, they were shocked to see a limping Lal Mirch approaching them. Seeing his mentor's condition, Takeshi immediately went to the COMSUBIN commander's side._

"_Capt. Lal! Hang in there." He tried to steady the woman. Lal however didn't want her apprentice's help. She rather faced the kids and ordered them in her usual authoritative voice._

"_Kids. You should get away from here. Right now. Get away as far as you can. Protect Tsuna." It was as if nothing was wrong with the woman when she ordered them. That was until she coughed. _

_The teens flinched when they saw blood come out from Lal's mouth._

"_Lal-nee, are you alright? Where are Luce-sama and the others?" Tsuna asked, worry fully marking his features._

"_I'm fine. But I don't know about the others. I needed to leave them to warn you kids. That masked bastard did something. Everyone were weakened and they – might even be dead by now. I just escaped because Colonello took my place." Lal coughed again._

_The teens couldn't believe their ears. But seeing Lal Mirch in that condition only proved what she had told them._

_Out of nowhere, professional hitmen suddenly surrounded their group. They readied themselves to attack but Lal did something to the men. They all froze._

"_Didn't I say you escape from here?" Lal glared at the apprentices but her eyes softened after a while. "Please. Be safe."_

_The teens stood there frozen. They wanted to help Lal and see if their other mentors were safe. They wanted to fight, dammit. But they couldn't deny the tough commander's plea either._

"_NOW GO!" Lal yelled and the teens, even Kyoya and Mukuro who were known to defy orders, obediently ran away from the place._

_They sprinted into the forest opposite from where the fights of the I Prescelti Sette happened to avoid enemies. However, a trap was already set there for them. Another group of professional hitmen were waiting for them._

_Tsuna had been silent all the while. Unbeknownst to the others, he was in a total wreck emotionally. When he heard Lal say that Reborn and the others might be dead, he was beyond furious. The vision he just saw earlier was happening too quickly. He was afraid, truly afraid._

_So when he realized that they had encountered another group of hitmen, he immediately engaged into battle without thinking. This surprised the other apprentices. Tsuna was never hasty and reckless. They gasped as they saw the dull eyes of their leader._

"_Boss! Tsuna! What the hell are you doing!" Hayato yelled at his beloved Boss and brother. He was quite terrified at how the brunet was fighting off the hitmen._

"_Everyone, I'll handle them. Please get away from here too."_

"_Are you crazy? Tsuna, Capt. Lal told us to protect you to the extreme!"_

"_Tsuna-nii, we won't leave without you."_

_Tsuna turned to them his eyes pleading. "Please. I don't want you to die too!"_

_It was just that split second moment that was only needed by one of the hitmen to fire at the brunet. Tsuna staggered when the bullet hit his side. When they realized what had happened, the teens immediately battled against the remaining enemy hitmen._

_Ryohei went to Tsuna's side and applied his sun flames to cure their leader's wound. The injury was shallow but somehow, Tsuna was weakened dramatically. This made him worry._

"_Guys! Tsuna is weakening to the extreme! The bullet that shot him must have been a special bullet. He needs proper medical treatment!" _

"_You herbivores ran along then. Chrome, Pineapple-head and I will handle these herbivores. Just make sure Tsuna is going to be alright." Kyoya smirked as he brandished his tonfa to two of the hitmen effortlessly._

"_Kufufufu~ We'll follow right after." Mukuro winked, his red eye already with the kanji 'one'._

"_Please, take care of Tsuna-kun." Chrome whirled her trident as she defended herself from the attacks._

_Ryohei, Hayato, Takeshi and Lambo nodded at the skylark and illusionists. Hayato and Takeshi supported the weakened Tsuna in their escape. Ryohei led the way while little Lambo served as look out for tailing hitmen._

_Tsuna was groggy and weak but he was still conscious of what was happening. He knew Mukuro, Chrome and Kyoya had stayed behind to let them advance. So that he would be cured. Tsuna cursed himself._

_They had walked farther into the forest when Lambo stopped and quickly went to Hayato's side. The little cow kid tugged on Hayato's pants in panic. "Bakayato-nii! There are some hitmen tailing us!" _

"_Shh... Don't say it out loud. They'll hear that we found out. And don't call me that, stupid cow."_

_Hayato looked at Takeshi and Ryohei to tell his plan. "I'm gonna distract the bastards. Bring Tsuna to a safe place quickly."_

"_Hayato-nii. I'll help you distract them. I – I want Tsuna-nii to get well soon too." _

_Hayato eyed their youngest sibling and sighed. "Fine. Just don't get in my way, okay Lambo?"_

_Lambo nodded eagerly. Hayato signaled for the boxer and swordsman to continue walking. _

_Ryohei and Yamamoto proceeded searching for a safe place for Tsuna. When they saw an abandoned building and confirmed that it was safe, they immediately went inside so that Ryohei could continue curing Tsuna's wound._

"_How's Tsuna, Ryo-nii?" Takeshi asked anxiously._

_Ryohei looked warily at the sleeping brunet. "The wound's already healed but whatever effect the bullet has, it extremely counteracts my flames. I'm afraid I don't know what's going to happen now."_

"_I can't believe this is happening." Takeshi remarked, exasperated. "We should return and get Verde-san. He might know what to do with Tsuna's state."_

"_Takeshi, didn't you hear what Capt. Lal said. They – might be dead. Our mentors."_

"_NO!" Takeshi yelled at the boxer. "I can't believe that. They're the strongest. They won't die!"_

"_Takeshi. We all know that to the extreme. But Capt. Lal said the enemies did something that even they couldn't stop. Heck, even Master PaoPao couldn't do anything. I extremely can't believe it too but should we risk going back and getting caught?"_

"_But who else will we seek to help Tsuna? Even if we escape, if he remains like that there's no use!"_

"_Fine! Do what you want." Ryohei relented, seeing the determined face of his younger sibling. "But don't get caught. If you think it's not safe, come back here immediately. Also, it would be better to tell the others about this location too."_

_Takeshi calmed down and nodded as he saw the solemn face of the boxer. He quickly stepped out of the abandoned building and went on his way to their mentors._

_Silence lingered as Ryohei watched the shallow breaths of their leader and younger brother. The boxer couldn't stop blaming himself for not knowing how to remove the effect of the special bullet. He cursed himself for being useless._

_Ryohei heard Tsuna groan and immediately attended to the brunet. He felt relief when he saw Tsuna open his eyes slightly and speak in his ragged voice._

"_Ryo-nii, how's everyone?" he asked as he looked around unseeing._

"_They'll be coming here later to the extreme. We'll just have to wait."_

_Tsuna blinked. "I know they stayed behind one-by-one to fight the hitmen. I'm so sorry for being reckless. If I were not injured, we could already have escaped together."_

_Ryohei shook his head. "No Tsuna. Don't blame yourself. You were extreme back there. You just wanted us to escape safely."_

"_I didn't want you to die too. Luce-sama, Reborn, everyone." Tsuna closed his eyes as tears fell on his cheeks. The vision from before still affecting him emotionally._

_Seeing the pained expression of the brunet broke the boxer's heart. He wanted to encourage his little brother. "They aren't dead yet. I know. They are the I Prescelti Sette aren't they? Of course we won't die too! We are your siblings. We won't leave you alone."_

_Tsuna smiled and relaxed when he heard the encouragement. Slowly, his consciousness slipped to the darkness. "Thank you Onii-san."_

"_Rest Tsunayoshi."_

_Hours had passed and yet no one seemed to be coming. Ryohei worried about his other siblings as much as he worried about Tsuna's condition. All his anxieties were slowly taking their toll on his body._

"_Is this the location were the last boy and target is in?" _

"_Yeah. I overheard the brats talking about it before we managed to capture them."_

"_Those kids were strong, especially the tonfa kid and the illusionist with hetero-chromatic eyes. We were lucky Boss arrived in time and used that. We already have the six brats. Two more to go."_

_Ryohei tensed as he heard the conversation of the incoming enemies. He hastily went to Tsuna's side to carry the still resting brunet. However, the door to the abandoned building had already burst open and several enemy hitmen stepped inside._

_Ryohei and Tsuna were outnumbered by the enemies. But that didn't stop the boxer to defend his younger brother from the hitmen._

_One-by-one, Ryohei defeated the attackers with his fist charged with sun flames. It must have been easy for him if he were on his top condition. But this time around, Ryohei had already exhausted his flames and stamina while treating Tsuna's injuries. _

_It took one dirty move from one of the hitmen to finally disable Ryohei. The boxer slumped on the floor, his whole body aching and screaming in pain. It was just a matter of seconds when the extreme teen slipped into unconsciousness._

_Tsuna had awakened in the middle of Ryohei's battle. However, his whole body wouldn't obey his commands. He wanted to help his big brother but he was too weak. He shook in anger at himself as he saw the enthusiastic boxer defeated by a dirty trick._

_With the last protector of Tsuna captured, the men went on their way to their main target's direction. They were all pleased to see the haggard and weakened state of the boy considered to be the strongest among the children of the I Prescelti Sette._

_'No, I have to fight. I have to get everyone back.' _

_Tsuna willed his body to move to no avail. The hitmen were laughing at his face, saying things that was intelligible to the brunet. It was then when a man pushed a needle to his arm. Tsuna's eyes widened at the pain he felt as the drug spread in his system. He finally lost his consciousness after that._

_When he woke up, Tsuna was sleeping in his usual room in the I Prescelti Sette's manor, without any injuries whatsoever._

_He hoped that everything was a dream but when he saw the emptiness of the mansion, he knew that it was all true. _

_He couldn't explain why he was safe though. The only clue as to why he was safe were the objects he found beside his bed that day he woke up. _

_An unusual black lily and a pack of white marshmallows._

* * *

><p>Tsuna stared at the ceiling of his new room inside the Vongola headquarters. It had only been a day when he started his plan but now he had successfully joined the Vongola. It was as if someone out there was guiding him in fulfilling his plans to save his family.<p>

Tsuna shut his eyes. It had been a week ever since that day of the attack. He held back his tears as he remembered how weak he had been on that day. If he were just stronger, he could have stopped whatever the enemy did to weaken his mentors. If he were stronger, he couldn't have made that stupid move and his siblings wouldn't have lured the enemies away from him, their main target.

Minutes passed and Tsuna found himself sobbing softly at the memory of that day. It was the first time he felt the true weight of losing his family.

It was the first time he truly cried.

It was all his fault.

* * *

><p>Story notes:<p>

In case you noticed, Japanese suffixes/additives were used by Tsuna and company in _I Prescelti Sette_'s family despite them being in Italy. We can just say they were used because habits die hard for the our Japanese children (while Hayato, Mukuro and Lambo who are Italian just absorbed the habit from their siblings) while the mentors tolerate and like how they were addressed. =^_^=

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

Yeah. Pretty much revealed some background. Hints for other details here and there. =P

As usual, I would like to give my appreciation to the lurkers, alerters, favers and most especially to the awesome **reviewers** who spared time in this fic. =)

_PuroCieloFiamme, Hola, Kitsunenaru, ruhiko, xXxShiniXKazexXx, Fanamaniac, La Signora Della Grande Cielo, Kanrei, Stargazer, Taira-Keimei, Tsuna De Vongola Decimo, Amaya Ishimoto, The Mafia-ish Addiction, ezcap1st_

Special thanks to these people. ^_~v

So, until next time! CHAOS!


End file.
